Team Freedom captured the 11/12U All-Ripken championship on Thursday.
Matthew Nunez delivered on the mound and at the plate, Chris Fassnacht had two key hits and George Brophy provided a critical tack-on RBI in the sixth as Team Freedom fended off the feisty Team Patriots, 7-5, in a wild 11/12U All-Ripken championship game.
Nunez permitted three runs, only one of which was earned, on two hits, struck out three and walked three in a tidy effort that saw him in trouble only in the bottom of the fifth inning. The tall righty also provided a two-run double in the first and reached and scored in the third when Freedom extended its lead to 5-1.
“I think the double in the first inning helped to boost our energy level,” said Nunez. “They beat us the first time we played them, so getting ahead was great for our confidence. The Patriots are a very good team.”
Leadoff hitter Jason Murawski capped a two-run second with an RBI single to right field to put Freedom in front, 4-1. Eli Brenneman had brought the first run home in the inning on a bouncer in front of the plate that went for an RBI single. Singles by Anthony Schiavone and Michael Mallory had set the rally in motion.
Brophy (2-for-3) doubled home Nunez in the third after the pitcher had reached on an error. Fassnacht, who had singled and scored on Nunez’s double in the first, ripped a double into right-center field to score Jackson Slater and boost the Freedom lead to 6-1 in the fifth.
Brian Gallagher produced the Patriots’ only run through four innings when he drew a walk in the first, stole second and third and scored on the catcher’s errant throw to third base.
But this fascinating victory for Team Freedom wasn’t secured until Brophy, in relief of Nunez, induced a pop-up to shortstop to strand the bases-loaded in the bottom of the sixth. The Patriots had struck for two runs in the fifth and two more in their last at bat to draw within two runs.
Team Patriots went 4-1 and finished second in the 11/12U All-Ripken tournament.
Brophy had started the sixth inning after Nunez had put forth those five gritty innings of work and handed a 7-3 lead to the bullpen just three outs shy of the 11/12U championship.
No player on the Freedom side, however, was counting their medals before they were draped around their necks. The Patriots, afterall, had defeated Team Freedom, 9-5, on Tuesday night and possessed a lineup that had accounted for 44 runs in their previous four games.
Finally, the Patriots’ thunderous lineup awoke, and very nearly in time.
Gavin Mason ignited the Patriots’ comeback when he launched a one-out solo home run off Nunez in the fifth that cleared the top of the roof of batting cages beyond the right field fence on Field 2. Nick Penna then reached on an error, Cody Keister walked and Penna scored on a fielder’s choice grounder by Zach Carlotto.
But Nunez emptied what he had left in the tank and got the next batter on a grounder to second base to keep the lead at 6-3.
“That was probably the best game I’ve ever pitched,” said a smiling Nunez. “I’m so happy I could do that for my team today.”
Matteo Peralta drew a walk leading off the top of the sixth for Team Freedom and he scored on Brophy’s hard shot into the right-center field gap. The critical tack-on run gave Freedom a 7-3 lead and would also provide just enough breathing room for when the going got very difficult in the bottom of the inning.
Dash Henry’s leadoff home run to right field served noticed immediately in the bottom of the sixth that the Patriots had no intention of going quietly. Down three runs still, Samson Pitko singled to center with one out, Chris Yang drew a walk and Kwame Asante-Abedi singled to center to suddenly load the bases and bring Gallagher, the potential winning run, to the plate.
Gallagher put a fright into the Patriots side when he hit a laser to deep left-center field but the left fielder was right there, though, reaching to make the catch for the second out of the inning.
Up stepped Mason, who the inning before had hit one to another zip code. But Brophy happily held the tall lefty hitter to an RBI single to right field that drew the Patriots within two runs at 7-5. Brophy then got Penna on a soft liner to shortstop, setting off a wild celebration in the infield.
Both teams finished the 11/12U All-Ripken tournament at 4-1. Team Freedom outscored its five opponents 52-27. Team Patriots held a 49-22 runs advantage on their opponents.